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Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Title of course: Environmental Issues in National Parks What prompted the idea for the course? The University of Tennessee is a natural fit for this course, with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and all the learning opportunities it offers being only a one-hour drive away. Although I did not create this course, I jumped at the opportunity to serve as an instructor for it. Growing up as a Boy Scout, and later a merit badge counselor, I found a love for place-based education. I have always valued using the outdoors to teach about the theoretical concepts shared in the classroom. What does the course explore? Each week of the semester we discuss an ongoing environmental issue and then dive into an applied case study in a different national park. For examp...

After Teller Elementary School announced plans to set aside half a day every Friday next year for teachers to plan lessons, analyze student performance data and take time for professional development, Principal Sabrina Bates received a slew of sharp words from parents: “You obviously don’t care about our kids,” one fired-up parent wrote. Another sounded off in an email, complaining “the kids barely get enough time to be schooled as it is.” Teller Elementary School, in east Denver, will add to more than 80 out of 207 district-run schools in Denver that will cut classroom time to make room for teacher planning and professional development next year, raising concerns among some parents that schools are going too far in scaling back hours of instruction. More than 80 schools under Denver Public Schools have an early release this school year while another nine schools include a late start in their schedule, according to district data. It’s not clear how many of those schools hav...